What Donovan Mitchell said after Evan Mobley's free-throw horror against Rockets

The Cleveland Cavaliers were the latest victims in the Houston Rockets’ winning run on Wednesday, and one stat in particular stood out.

The 114-104 loss to the Rockets halted the Cavs’ mini two-game winning spell to go to 10-6, and extended Houston’s to five, where they have gone 10-1 since starting the campaign 0-2.

Part of the downfall was the Cavaliers’ woeful foul shooting, where they are 26th in the NBA in free-throw percentage. They went a subpar 20-for-32 in the loss, with Evan Mobley 4-for-10, while the Rockets shot a respectable 23-for-27.

But Donovan Mitchell defended his teammate Mobley, who had 18 points and six rebounds otherwise, saying that he did a good job at getting to the stripe in the first place.

The fact remains, you have to make your freebies.

Donovan Mitchell Postgame After Loss vs Rockets:

“[1:10, Free Throws] That’s that mental that I’m talking about. Ev [Evan Mobley] did a solid job of getting to the line. You gotta make them. I’ve had nights where I missed 4 or 5. I missed 3 in the playoffs last year, in a row.… pic.twitter.com/jbbWL0wzp6
— Dylan🔮🦃 (@dillybar2145__) November 20, 2025

“That’s that mental that I’m talking about,” Mitchell explained.

“Ev [Mobley] did a solid job of getting to the line ten times. You’ve got to make them. I’ve had nights where I missed four or five.

“I missed three in the Playoffs last year in a row. It’s a mental thing, and that’s a step for us; we’ve got to convert. They’re free. They’re there. Put the work and the time in. That’s on us. We’ve got to get out there and make our free throws.

“We’re doing a good job getting there. Dre [De’Andre Hunter] was 8-for-8, and obviously, I didn’t get there too much tonight.

“But Ev getting there ten times is huge, it’s big time, especially for him, but it’s easy points he’s got to convert.”

No question, those 12 missed opportunities could have drastically altered the outcome, but the game is in the books as Cleveland drops their second game out of four in the six-game home stand.

Evan Mobley Postgame After Loss vs Rockets:

“[2:00, Free Throws] It’s very important. I gotta be better. It’s probably the worst I’ve shot free throws in my whole time playing basketball. Just keep gets reps up, reps up, reps up and we’ll figure it out soon….focus and routine.… pic.twitter.com/pGsuxcnPyZ
— Dylan🔮🦃 (@dillybar2145__) November 20, 2025

“I got to be better,” Mobley reflected afterwards.

“It’s probably the worst I’ve shot free throws in my whole time playing basketball. Just got to figure it out, just keep getting reps up, reps up, reps up, and we’ll figure it out soon.”

The Cavs next host the lowly Indiana Pacers (2-13) on Friday night, who are lifted by their 127-118 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

For the Cavs, there is hope that Sam Merrill could return after missing the loss to Houston with a hand injury. Darius Garland (toe) practised pregame and is hopeful to return at the end of the month.

However, there are question marks on Jaylon Tyson, who is out in concussion protocol. Tyson sat out his fifth consecutive game – as did Garland.